Shortly before the Kremlin election

Kremlin critic Navalny is dead!

A few weeks before the presidential election in mid-March, Russia has been rocked by the death of the most prominent opposition figure of recent years: Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny was found lifeless on Friday. The 47-year-old collapsed during a walk in the penal colony in Siberia where he was serving a long prison sentence.

According to a statement from the prison authorities, Navalny had felt "unwell" during a walk, "lost consciousness almost immediately" and died shortly afterwards. The doctors who were alerted did not manage to revive the prisoner.

Kremlin has "no information"
The Kremlin said that it had "no information about the cause of death". However, all necessary investigations were being carried out. President Vladimir Putin had been informed of the death of his opponent.

Navalny's press spokeswoman did not want to confirm the death for the time being. His lawyer Leonid Solovyov was on his way to the "polar wolf" prison. In an initial statement to the pro-Kremlin newspaper "Novaya Gazeta", he said: "I will not comment at all on the decision of Alexei Navalny's family."

Former chief of staff: "If this is true, Putin killed Navalny"
Navalny's former chief of staff, Leonid Volkov, was unequivocal on X (see below): "We have no reason to believe state propaganda. If this is true, then it is not 'Navalny died', but 'Putin killed Navalny' and only that."

Recently put in solitary confinement again
Navalny's team said cryptically at midday: "The Russian authorities have published a confession that they killed Alexei Navalny in prison. We have no way of confirming this." Just this week, there had been reports that Navalny had already been placed in solitary confinement for the 27th time for a period of 15 days.

The alleged last video recording of Navalny from the "polar wolf" penal colony from yesterday, Thursday:

Convicted of extremism
Navalny was convicted of extremism, among other things, a charge he had always denied. His political movement was banned, close associates were imprisoned or fled abroad.

In 2020, the Putin regime tried to get rid of Navalny with a poison attack. Under international pressure, Navalny was brought to Germany, where he was treated at the Charité hospital in Berlin.

Ice-cold isolation before the presidential election
After his recovery, Navalny decided to return to Russia, but was arrested at Moscow airport on 17 January 2021. Last December, the politician, who was classified as a political prisoner, disappeared for several weeks. It subsequently emerged that the judiciary had transferred him from the European part of Russia to the prison camp in the far north of Siberia. Navalny suspected that he was to be isolated there as much as possible before the presidential election in March.